Lesinspiratie Valentine lesson

Love music

In a Valentine's lesson, a love song cannot be missing, of course. Learning with songs is a lot of fun and helps with language learning. We use the song If love did not exist by Toon Hermans to show how music helps with comprehension, vocabulary and discussing cultural differences. Includes instruction and ready-to-use worksheets.

Getting Started

Donwload the lyrics to If love did not exist and the accompanying learning words here. You can listen to the song on YouTube here. Follow these steps for a lesson full of love!

1. Introduction

Duration 1o minutes
Objective Activate prior knowledge
Method Write the theme of this lesson on the board. Have the students first individually write down or draw what they think of when they think of this theme. Then have them form pairs with a fellow student. Have the students compare their answers and, in response, have them discuss what the song might be about. Discuss the findings in class. Listen to the song together and then briefly discuss the extent to which the trainees' expectations match the actual content of the song.

2. Listening

Duration 2o minutes
Objective To practice listening skills
Method Have the students listen to the song. Have them indicate on worksheet 1 whether the words occur in the song or not. For verification, have the students listen to the song again. Have them compare their answers with those of a fellow student. Then discuss the answers in class.

3. Vocabulary

Duration 2o minutes
Objective To semanticize vocabulary
Method Have the students form pairs and present them with Worksheet 2. Have them guess the definitions of the target words in this lesson. As they do so, have them use the context. Have them check their guessed answers using an (NT2) dictionary. Then discuss in class which definitions the students found.

4. Culture

Duration 2o minutes
Objective Get to know other cultures
Method Which associations with the theme 'love' are culture-bound? First have the students individually write down their associations with the word 'love'. Then have them form groups of four and discuss and compare the answers with each other. Provide heterogeneous groups in terms of country of origin. Finally, discuss the answers in class.

Done?

Have you finished the lesson? We hope you and your students loved the assignments. Are you looking for more assignments and worksheets to accompany If Love Didn't Exist? You will find them in the publication Dichter bij de taal. Here you will find twenty lessons in which a song or poem is central. Through various themes such as love, family, education, grief and comfort, this book literally brings the non-native speaker 'closer to the language'. The lessons are aimed at increasing language skills and invite intercultural exchange.